Sanaa Talks: TV show giving artists a platform to be seen and heard
To the lovers of things artistic, there is a new TV talk show that revolves and engages professionals in the creative economy.
Sanaa Talks brings different forms of arts together for a solid conversation with an aim to shape and create conversations around specialties in the performing arts business.
The new show, which airs on KU TV every Wednesday, is a round table talk show where the host engages different people from the same industry on different levels of their careers in attempt to understand their industry.
Speaking to Nairobi News, one of the Directors Cecimercy Wanza said the concept for the show was created to foster conversations among arts practitioners in Kenya and the East African region.
“We noticed that almost all sectors of life are represented in TV: from marriage, weddings, health, religion to everything entertainment but no show was showcasing the reality behind the artists’ life and hence Sanaa Talks.”
She added: “The show focuses on the performing arts only and, therefore, the guest lineup includes, but is not limited to, poets, filmmakers, musician, actors, film and music producers, casting agents etc.”
During these discussions the panelists reveal some of the aspects of their careers that are not often talked about.
ARTISTIC IDENTITY
The show looks to ignite conversations behind what artists go through and mirror the artists’ industry as a whole. These conversations would help formulate a sellable artistic identity, especially as Kenyans.
According to Ms Wanza, the idea at first was to use social media as a means to push artists into the celebrity status that other nations’ practitioners enjoy so briskly, and then to create a hub where arts students can get reference from already established artists.
“However, after a few meetings we were able to get a broadcasting slot in KU TV where it now airs every Wednesday.” she said.
The first episode went live on Facebook in November just to give the people the expectations of the show. After that they pulled down the consequent shows on Facebook.
They got a lot of feedback of disappointment from the people who couldn’t access it. Others also wanted to be part of the show.
They returned to Facebook as live feeds. Every time the show aired, they would stream it simultaneously, getting live feedback from the audience as well as increasing the reach of the programme.
They hope to have more random and frequent sessions showcasing different elements and stages of the artists’ career life.